New Mechanism Discovered for Controlling Heat Flow in Electronic Devices

— Promising Advances in Device Performance and Energy Efficiency —

A joint research team led by Prof. Madoka Ono at Tohoku University with Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University (Prof. Yasutaka Matsuo, Prof. Hiromichi Ohta) has discovered a mechanism that allows precise control of heat flow in amorphous silica (SiO₂) thin films.

The study reveals that interactions between the SiO₂ film and its substrate alter the film’s structure and vibrational properties, significantly affecting how heat is conducted. The team demonstrated that the size and flexibility of Si–O ring structures within the film vary with the substrate, enabling dramatic changes in thermal conductivity.

This finding opens new possibilities for efficient thermal management in semiconductor devices and is expected to contribute to higher performance and energy-saving technologies in next-generation electronics.

The research has been published in Nano Letters, a journal of the American Chemical Society, on April 14 at 4:00 PM (JST).